Iron Maiden Suing Developers Of Ion Maiden For Copyright Infringement

Legendary metal band Iron Maiden might be notorious free spirits who light up stadiums around the world, but would it shock you to learn that they’re also incredibly serious about copyright infringement?

The band wants 2 million dollars from game developer 3D Realms for infringement of its copyright, concerning the Texas company’s latest game, Ion Maiden, which is currently in Early Access.

Iron Maiden’s lawsuit was filed in California and claims that the game creates “a likelihood of confusion among consumers” due to its naming, which admittedly isn’t far off, but also referential of the game’s futuristic setting in Neo DC. Regardless, Iron Maiden isn’t exactly an original name either – it’s the title of a 19th-century neo-medieval torture device.

The lawsuit extends also to the naming of the titular character and the games supposedly similar logo (there’s a skull in it!) The main character of the game is known as Shelley Harrison, who Iron Maiden allege is based on Steve Harris – despite the fact that Shelly’s character appeared in a previous game unrelated to Ion Maiden…

3D Realms has since responded to the lawsuit in a blog post on their Steam page, noting that the claims are “frivolous” and “more over the top than Shelly’s “Loverboy”, her signature 18-round triple-barrelled revolver.”

As a result, 3D Realms, 1C Entertainment and Voidpoint state that they will be reviewing options when they receive official notice of the suit, in the meantime the developers are still cracking on with the in-progress project “everyone continues to work diligently on Ion Maiden to deliver the best possible experience later this year.”

We’ll see how this one plays out as both parties make their statements. For now, you can grab Ion Maiden on Steam, which despite only being in early access has some fantastic reviews!